The Drive!!!!!

Hola, Vancouver!  Que tal??!!!!  I’ve got to catch up on posts – we arrived in Vancouver on Sunday + since then it’s been nut balls busy!!!!

Packing out of our Calgary apartment on Saturday was a bona fide nightmare.

We had too much stuff – it didn’t fit in both of our cars (which I predicted)!!!!  So Jeff had to drive an hour to Canmore to unload + drive back to Calgary to get more!!!  Of course, it started to POUR rain once Jeff left + I had to consolidate everything on the lawn, cover it with a tarp + keep hauling boxes towards the door.  By the time Jeff returned it started hailing as we loaded more into the cars.  Ouch.  They hurt.

That night we had an amazing + relaxing dinner at Karen + Kyle’s.  I’m going to miss this family!!!!  Their daughter Juna looked at me + asked, “Why does your hair look like that?”.  It was in a messy, unkempt bun wrapped in a leopard print Betsey Johnson scrunchie.  “Because I feel craaaaaaazy.” I explained to her.  ‘Nuff said.  Juna completely understood just by looking at me.  Thanks guys for everything you’ve done for us this summer!!!!!!

Off to a slower start than planned the next day, we headed off for Vancouver.  It was a gorgeous drive filled with miles + miles of mountains + evergreens!!!!  Here’s Jeff’s car towing the trailer while we’re about to drive through the split in the rock.  Eerie.

If you’re wondering what the weird leathery looking things are on my dashboard, they’re dried up gardenias from my family’s front porch in Los Angeles.  Awwwww.

We had to stop at the Last Spike in Craigellachie!!!!  The Last Spike is the location where the final spike was driven in, symbolizing the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Exciting stuff! 

Et en francais, aussi!!!!  Pourquoi pas!!!!????

Jeff is checking out the action.

Here is the historic photo of financier + railway director Donald Smith driving in the Last Spike.

The boy standing behind Donald Smith that everyone is always so curious about is young Edward Mallandaine.  Edward Mallandaine had quit school, determined to witness the historic event.  Hitching a ride on a flatbed + spending a snowy night in a boxcar located close to where the ceremony was to take place, he squeezed his way through the crowd the next morning + truly did become a part of  history.

Jeff makes a fetching Donald Smith with his unusually soft looking lady hips.

Hammer it in!!!!

Here’s me – notice the strain on my face.  That thing was heavy, homies!!!!!  I was like, “Jeff!  Hurry up + take the GD picture!!!”.  I look like a hunchback Mongolian peasant gnome!!!!

Fun time over.  We were driving + driving + driving + driving.  There was no radio reception through most of the drive, I had no iPod, CDs or nothin’.  I whistled to myself a lot.  Strangely when there was radio reception I heard Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair” play TWICE.  I didn’t realize Mountain Canucks were so into this jam.

I love it.  Here is our family caravan in all it’s loaded glory.

We rolled into Vancouver to Tom + Deb’s (my brother + sister-in-law) house around 10pm.  I was done.  Over 12 hours of driving at around 50mph.  Blech.  When I spoke it sounded like, “Blub, blub, beh blub.”.  Well, we have finally arrived!  Stay tuned as Jeff + I begin to move into OUR NEW HOUSE!!!!  Yeeeee!!!!!